It's been a good couple of days!

*I work with a guy who's getting married Saturday.
He's so happy he's not worth killing. :-P

*Found out Fara is pregnant.
Turns out she ran her first 1/2 marathon pregnant. (sub-2 hrs) :-)

*I rode 17+ miles right after work today & still managed to finish up the yardwork before the rain.

*Joe got Vandy football season tickets.
(I'm going to be black n' golded to death!) :-P

*I got Taylor Swift/Kellie Pickler tickets for Sept 12th.

*My TX sister is making a quick trip here at the end of next week & she's bringing Avery. :-)

*We made plans to go to the Titans training camp this Sunday afternoon.

*Realized my twisted ankle doesn't seem to mind me twisting it anymore.

*Learned that it always pays to take the "high road" because "karma" usually gets mean people.

*I rode 22+ miles yesterday (& started yardwork) & yes, I think Alex solved the tube/tire problem.

I really need to watch more swimming on TV!

Got this from the Huffington Post. Ricky Berens bared his backside by accident. Apparently, it happened right as he was getting ready to dive into the pool, bless his heart. ha!

My scheduled bike ride got rained out today so I ended up at Harvey's doing the usual. I had a really nice chat with my 7th grade Art teacher, Mr. Roper. He's 75 & looks like he has the body of a man much younger. Amazing!

Fragments of another week...

Last Tues:
Got up early for the 1 hr spin class & weights late afternoon

Last Wed:
Rode just over 23 miles with misting rain falling intermittently on me but it sure made the ride feel cooler…

Last Thurs:
Got up early for weights @ Harvey’s
Got in 15 miles on the bike (sore quads)

Last Fri after work:
Battled yet again with another front tire flat.
Had an engineer @ work check it downstairs.
Nothing suspicious so we changed it & I rode just over 33 mi after work.

Sat morning:
Did the elliptical for 35 mins (while watching the Tour) & the 45 min pilates class...I needed a good stretch for sure & I got it thanks to Carla.
Note: My core is stronger. Why? I can hold the plank way longer than I did like a month or so ago. Why? Probably the weights, maybe more time on the bike? Who knows, but don’t mess with me. ha!

Sun afternoon:
Weights, some ab work, & the elliptical with Terri @ Harvey’s.
My neck & upper body look big to me so she showed me some different moves with the free weights. We took note that my quads are taking on a different shape. Funny how when you use different muscles that happens.

This morning:
Loaded the bike up only to find yet another front tire flat.
Called Alex & by golly we’re getting to the bottom of this tube drama once & for all. He put a new tube & new tire on for free. He even replaced the rim tape liner. So, we're crossing our fingers! He's got a lot of bike knowledge for someone who looks like a Jonas brother. :-)
I zipped back home & rode just 13 miles. I am now 1/2 Michelin & 1/2 Continental. All I know is that the Continental tires are hell to deal with...so I may change the back one too.

Don’t know what to watch on TV. I feel like I’ve been watching the Olympics & I’m already having some withdrawals. So glad Armstrong held onto 3rd but I sure did fall in love with those Schleck brothers. What a team! Andy's definitely got it in him to win the tour one day.
Speaking of the Olympics….looks like Phelps is doing EXTREMELY well.
Oh & Joe’s neighbor, Tim, got called up to the Brewers again. I know they have to be pretty excited about that.

Joe's cousin, Erin & her hubby Kurt, came in over the weekend. They're from Milwaukee & LOVE the Brewers. We went down town Sat night & bar hopped a bit. Man, it was busy down there. Reminded me of New Orleans but nobody was walking around on the streets with a hurricane in their hands. :)

Erin & Kurt in front of the Wildhorse.

Football:
*We may head to the Titans training camp Sunday evening if there’s time in the busy weekend.
*Drew Bennett announced his NFL retirement….umm, I still have his Titans pants. Ha!
*Still trying to decide where/if there will be an away game for little ole me...
*Sure hope Lane Kiffin & his newly rebuilt team live up to the hype.
*Joe's thinking of Vandy season tickets...

Insert title here :-P

Last Wed: 17.63 miles on the bike
This was a slow ride for various reasons other than the heat.
1. nudged small snapping turtle out of road even though I felt like he didn’t appreciate it.
2. more than a few deer decided to taunt me, run in front of me, & hiss at me like I was Tonya Harding at a skating event….gesh!
3. yelled at a little squirrel that appeared to be chasing me… Maybe it had rabies? When I yelled, it flipped backwards stunned that I raised my voice.
4. played with my gears a lot…getting on & off the big ring is a lot easier for sure.

Last Thurs: early 45 min spin class & Harvey’s for some ab work & weights

Last Fri: 30 miles (boy, was I nasty when I finished.)
I’ve concluded that 30 miles after work isn’t going to kill me but anymore than that will have to be a weekend ride for sure.

Saturday: Push mowed my grass & enjoyed the fabulous weather with Joe. We watched a double feature at the Drive In (“My Sister’s Keeper & “Transformers 2”) We watched the 1st “Transformers that morning so we weren’t lost. Yeah, thanks Joe…I’m now skiddish around all my appliances.

Sunday: 17.5 miles on my bike in the glorious weather. What a blessing this weekend was weatherwise. You should be shot if you didn’t get out in it, seriously. We also enjoyed dinner at Kirkenburt’s in the ‘boro with Hannah & Jeff. Very Yummy!

Mon: Today, I did the 45 min spin class & some ab work. Legs are a little dead.

I finally finished, “The Shack” last week. I had started it during the 4th of July. It’s a good read & I highly recommend it for those that have lost loved ones. It deals not only with letting go, but letting go negativity, letting go judgmental attitudes, & forgiving. We could all use a little bit of that in our lives. Actually seeing in print that you don’t have to have a relationship with the person who hurt you even if you do forgive them was refreshing. For instance, you can forgive a person in your heart that steals from you but obviously you don’t have to have a relationship with that person in order to forgive them. It’s also about “hope” & the willingness to allow it back into your life after the grieving process has ended. Pretty heavy stuff! Probably why it took me so long to start/finish the book… Ha! I need to read some fluff now.
I am pretty happy that I read two of Lance Armstrong’s books last year because I now understand more about the Tour than I ever have…& it’s really been entertaining to watch & not be clueless as to what is going on & why.

A week in fragments...

Last Wed:
17 mile bike ride just shy of 15 mph.
Didn’t bother messing too much with the gears…
Just thoroughly enjoyed riding in the sunshine…& I ate a bug. :P

Last Thurs:
45 min early spin & my usual Harvey’s stuff in the pm…
Watched part of the memorial for McNair…
Derrick Mason made me cry. (I'm not at all surprised he announced his retirement this week.)

Last Fri:
30 mile bike ride a little slower than Wed’s ride…
Trying to equate a 30 mile ride in the heat with running in the heat.
I felt like I had just ran about 13-15 miles & I looked it too. Nasty!

Sat:
Got caught up with my friend, Ted J. at DW Wilson community ctr…
Did weights & some ab work at Harvey’s…
Headed to Nashville…ate at Noshville & went to the Sounds game…

Sun:
House cleaning was more important than working out…
Didn’t make it out on the bike due to the storms that blew through…
Did the elliptical for 1 hour, though…

Mon:
Fighting sinus infection but spent an hour mowing anyway...

Tues:
Did Leslie's am 1 hr spin class & then weights in the afternoon...

What’s new? Nothing much…Been watching a lot of the Tour...
I can't seem to stop saying the name, Mark Cavendish , with an accent...
Joe washed/waxed my car & boy did it need it! He is one of the most thoughtful people I know OR he was too embarrassed to get into my dull looking Honda...
Going to a Wedding at Rutledge Falls Church on Aug 1st with the reception at the Tullahoma Country Club afterwards…should be fun since it’s BB’s wedding.
Have tickets to the 1st Preseason game against Tampa…sec 107…
It’s a Sat night on Aug 15th & I can’t think of a better way to relax downtown on a summery Sat night… :)
Life is Good so celebrate it!

Addicted to Versus & my Gyms

I never really new the versus channel existed until I saw Joe watching it. Great coverage of the Tour. Makes me want to go to France. Go Lance Go! I hope his team kicks butt the whole way.

Going to renew both my gym memberships by the end of the month. I've decided not to part with Harvey's. Their hours are better than the Rec Ctrs but they don't have the spin classes or the pool like the Rec Ctr.

I'm mixing it up a bit this week. Yep, I'm bored with the routine.
Mon: weights & abs
Tues: 40 min aqua jog in the am & 1 hr spin in Chad's class Tues pm
Wed: I'm riding...not sure how far or how long but I know where I'm going. :P

Happy Hump day!

Yep, another blurry week.....

Last Monday evening:

We went to another "Sounds" game to see Tim (the neighbor) pitch.

It was fun & a nice way to start another vacation with Joe. We flew to Michigan with the kids Tuesday afternoon & returned this morning.

Cousin Susan's Birthday:

She's 35 & still married to the same guy she met when they were both 15 yrs old, Rob. Her birthday was the 2nd. Me trying to get Mabel's attention. (Susan & Rob's big baby)
We had fun...Carrie, Susan, Rob, Aunt Diane, Uncle Jimmy, Patti, & Joe. My Aunt Diane even showed how a paper towel can catch on fire if you hold it up to an electric fly swatter. ha! I should've taken a pic because you just had to be there. We took some pics outside in between rain storms. None of mine look good. We all looked 4 ft tall with midget legs in them. Weird!

Had a great time at Joe's parents place, too. Joe's dad paid for all of us to see the new "Ice Age" movie one afternoon. We all loaded up for the Detroit Zoo on another afternoon. Ate at the Sagebrush Cantina in downtown Lake Orion, too. 4 full days crammed with so much...so I did my errands, laundry, & skipped anything resembling a work out today. Tomorrow it's back to the normal routine. I think I'll hit Harvey's after work.

Frankenmuth 5k:

Wouldn't you know it that Joe & I would wander into a nice little running store downtown Lake Orion. (Hanson's) I got a new calf sleeve for my shin that refuses to heal there. YES, it's still cracked but that was no big surprise to me...remember, I did a 1/2 at the end of Apr that probably shouldn't have happened but eh, it's done... The ankle is being treated as a sprain for now. (fell off front porch like 6 wks ago) Neither of them hurt just FYI. I was told at the Dr's office on Tues morning that I must have a very high tolerance for pain. Well, ok...whateva?! Seriously, nothing hurts at all but X ray's don't lie. So, I made an executive decision on Tue morning. NO MORE jogging on the shin/ankle until after the first of the year no matter what the X rays say healed or not. I'm going to bike, spin, do weights, & elliptical until the cows come home on into 2010. We did do the Frankenmuth 5k, though, on the 4th. Joe 25:26...decent for someone who's not run in nearly 6 wks & he ran in new shoes he had not broken in yet. Me, 28:51. I did take it easy. Felt like I was crawling the 1st half of it. The start was pretty congested but thinned out towards the middle. I even ran with the blackberry thinking I'd snap a photo here n' there. Below is the only one I snapped & it was in the 1st mile. We were going to walk it in these hats but Joe changed his mind. :P Detroit Zoo: Butterfly building
Below are Jake, Chrissy, & their girls, Katie & Megan.A "joey" & it's mommy & family.Kids in front of Polar Bear exhibit.Giraffe's home.Rhino, he was not amused that we watched him swim.Bear, he was not amused that the crowd wouldn't let him sleep.They were adorable but so very hard to photograph!Sleeping peacefully. Cute feet! :P

I had been to this zoo when I was probably 7 or 8 yrs old. It's very nice.

"Always Christmas" & Frankenmuth...

Steve McNair:

Saturday about 2pm or so, my cell was getting text messages like you wouldn't believe. Wayne S. sent me the first one & both he & my friend, Ted, called me. I had heard rumors of a divorce, the house was up for sale, & for years I was told Steve was a bit of a ladies man. I was shocked but it reads just like your typical crime of passion murder. I know they've not confirmed it yet but I believe the young woman shot him & then killed herself. It seems like some VERY bad judgement on "Air McNairs" part. Who knows....not my place to judge. My heart breaks for his 4 boys & wife. Seems like yesterday, you could see him flying out of the tunnel on any given Sunday, zipping long passes to Derrick Mason, & after the game you could usually spot him on a golf cart with one or two of his boys heading toward his vehicle with at least one part of his body taped up. We're all entitled to our opinions of others whether we know the facts or not but most of us know he was one HELL of a quarterback that the Titans are still trying to replace.